Pork Loin or Tenderloin Sous-Vide: To Brine or Not To Brine?

Many recipes for pork loin or pork tenderloin will tell you to brine them, so the meat will be more tender and juicy. And many people keep on brining when they prepare the pork sous-vide, even though that cooking technique … Continue reading Pork Loin or Tenderloin Sous-Vide: To Brine or Not To Brine?

Paella made with Stock from Rotisserie Chicken Leftovers

Another post from my cooking on a boat adventure. Paella is a great dish to cook for a large group, and I had borrowed a wonderful paella pan with dedicated burner. But what about stock? The stock is an important aspect of paella, which should be made from scratch rather than using bouillon cubes. Chicken stock and fish stock are obvious choices for paella, but where to get sufficient chicken or fish bones when on a boat trip?

The answer I came up with is that on the evening prior to cooking the paella, we prepared rotisserie chicken. After eating them, all the bones were collected in a big pot and those were used to make a stock. We also made shrimp stock from the heads and shells of the jumbo shrimp used for the paella, and used the cooking liquid from the mussels. A good cook never throws away something that still has flavor in it that can be used! Continue reading “Paella made with Stock from Rotisserie Chicken Leftovers”

Suckling Pig over an Open Fire

This post is coming from you from the middle of the IJsselmeer, the largest lake in the Netherlands. With a group of 25-30 people we are camping on a small fleet of boats (two large ones, plus several smaller ones). Everyone has a task on board, and it won’t come as a surprise that I am the chef 🙂

This means freshly baked multigrain bread every day, on the first night freshly made shawarma, and on the second night we roasted a whole suckling pig over an open fire. Continue reading “Suckling Pig over an Open Fire”